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2019 Bentley Bentayga V8 First Drive Review | Losing cylinders but not much else

There's no such thing as a cheap Bentley. Even though the new-for-2019 Bentayga V8 is $30,000 less expensive than its W12-powered sibling, the twin-turbo V8's $165,000 window sticker still puts it well into the upper echelon of pricey luxury vehicles. Bentley is loathe to compare the two versions of the Bentayga — what parent wants to pit siblings against one another? — but does frame the V8 edition as a somewhat sportier alternative to the full-bore, glitz and glamor W12. Let's examine that line of reasoning. Under the hood of the Bentayga V8 is a 4.0-liter turbocharged engine that shares most of its bits with the latest Porsche Panamera and Cayenne Turbo. The engine is specifically tuned for use in this new application, with a unique sound signature and a cooling package that Bentley says will keep it running comfortably even in the face of the largest desert sand dunes in the world. The V8's peak of 568 pound-feet of torque hits below 2,000 rpm and stays exactly there until 4,500, with a horsepower peak of 542 at 6,000. From behind the wheel, the Bentayga's V8 engine feels a bit higher strung than the effortless W12. Instead of instant torque, there's a strong rush of power that builds nicely until it nears its 7,000-rpm redline, the highest rev limit of any engine the brand has ever installed in a passenger vehicle. If such a peaky-sounding engine seems incongruous with the intent of a luxury SUV, just know that there's plenty of stonk available any time the driver decides to push a red-bottomed Louboutin into the plush carpet. It's just a little less than what'd be on call from the W12, but there's not enough of a discrepancy to really matter. The V8 is a bit less sprightly to 60 than the W12 — 4.4 seconds versus 4.1 — and, with its 180-mile-per-hour top speed, it's a meaningless 7 mph slower at the top end, too. So, that doesn't really support the idea of sportiness. Neither too does the V8 handle any differently than the W12. There's only about a hundred pounds separating the two vehicles, with the new V8 edition weighing in at 5,264 pounds. And since only half of that weight savings is centered over the front axle, there isn't any real change to the Bentayga's driving dynamics or steering feel. That's not to say the Bentley Bentayga V8 doesn't drive well, it just doesn't drive differently than its more powerful, more expensive sibling.

2014 Bentley Flying Spur

Redefining Super Luxury On A Shrinking Planet
Anyone on Earth with access to the Internet, a television or radio for the last 20 years knows that China is no longer the poor stronghold for strict Communist ideals that it was for much of the 20th Century. (Well, at least not in some places.) Traveling to China twice in less than a month - first to Shanghai for a very international auto show and now to Beijing to drive and review the 2014 Bentley Flying Spur - I've learned that there's no lack of personal wealth, at least in two of the world's largest cities.
And yet, even I think the scene before me is a little bit ridiculous. Here I am, slowly climbing up a hillside to reach a fortification at something called Zhuanduo Pass, where roughly a dozen pristine examples of Western decadence sit idling their hand-built 12-cylinder engines in the shadow of China's revered and awesome Great Wall. Not five kilometers south of here, I'd passed an old man in traditional all-black garb, literally carrying a bundle of sticks on his back from one side of a village to the other. Now as I look through the snug-fitting and silent side glass of the my $200,000+ palace on wheels, I'm more apt to see fat German tourists crisping in the hot Chinese sun while blowing the equivalent of an average Chinese monthly paycheck on lunch and a few Great Wall souvenirs.

2017 Bentley Flying Spur W12 S laughs at the 200-mph barrier

A 200-plus-mile-per-hour sedan will always be more audacious than a similarly speedy coupe. These days, cracking 200 in a lightweight two-door is basically just expected. But reaching that speed in a sedan – a big, heavy, leather-and-wood-lined palace of a four-door – is more challenging. Bentley has finally done it. The new Flying Spur W12 S takes the smaller of Bentley's two sedans up to a lofty 202 mph – up from 199 in the standard model – thanks to the efforts of a more potent W12. The company's engineers boosted output from 616 to 626 horsepower and torque from 590 pound-feet to 605. On top of the increased top speed, the W12 S can hit 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds. A retuned suspension with unique damper and stability control settings promises a more agile Flying Spur flagship, too. There are also aesthetic tweaks to set the Flying Spur's headlining act. We're digging the black elements in the LED headlights and taillights. The new lights play nice with the blacked-out grille – which Bentley insists on calling Beluga – 21-inch wheels, and other accents scattered around the body. We think the pale blue sedan in the gallery works better than on the Jack-O-Lantern orange Flying Spur. Changes in the cabin are more modest – there's a nice "W12 S" script in the headrests and a new two-tone color split interior that's limited to this range-topping S model. Bentley will deliver the first Flying Spur W12 S sedans near the end of 2016. And if you want an even more potent Flying Spur, somehow, we're guessing a Speed model will supplant the W12 S sooner rather than later. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Bentley Flying Spur W12 S News Source: BentleyImage Credit: Bentley Bentley Luxury Performance Sedan bentley flying spur